How do taxes and fiscal transparency affect the investment behaviour of companies? How can transparency help shape a more sustainable economy and society? How can tax and transparency regulations strengthen trust in politics?" More than 100 researchers from eight universities, including the University of Paderborn, the HU Berlin, the University of Mannheim and the University of Cologne, are addressing these and other questions in the interregional Collaborative Research Centre "TRR 266 Accounting for Transparency" (TRR 266). The aim is to develop effective regulation for corporate transparency and a transparent tax system.

How reasonable and evidence-based regulations, improved corporate reporting and a more transparent tax system can work, is being investigated by the first Collaborative Research Centre (since 2019) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with a focus on business administration, now in its second funding period starting in July. The funding volume amounts to around 18 million euros.

Also in July, WiSo professor Maximilian Müller holder of the Chair of Financial Accounting at the University of Cologne will take up his office: The head of the WiSo Faculty's "Fiduciary Seminar" will become Principal Investigator of the sub-project "Ambiguity, Learning and the Diffusion of Reporting Practices". In this project, the researchers focus particularly on the transparency of companies with regard to sustainability. Companies need to learn how to communicate with new stakeholders on topics that are new to everyone. Part of the project is also the Open Science platform www.sustainabilityreportingnavigator.com, which provides information on the rules, corporate practices and preferences of stakeholders in the field of sustainability reporting.

The research results are now to be further expanded over the next four years and "taken to a new level", according to TRR 266 spokesperson Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Dr. h.c. Caren Sureth-Sloane. "Based on our findings so far, in the second funding period we will focus more on the role of transparency and regulation in addressing important societal challenges." In addition to sustainability, central topics include macroeconomic and geopolitical crises - and related issues. Making decisions in companies visible is an important basis for this.

Central to the work of TRR 266 is not least the open science idea, emphasises Prof. Dr Joachim Gassen, from Berlin's Humboldt University. For example, research is made as transparent and reproducible as possible. The results are also made available to the public and processed in various communication formats so that not only other researchers but society as a whole can engage in constructive discussion.

We are pleased about the continuation of this innovative research project and are looking forward to the innovative research results.

• Prof. Dr Maximilian A. Müller at Find-an-Expert
• To the press release of TRR 266